Don't Fear the Reaper
by Snow-hime
Summary: Before Renato Sinclair became Reborn, the World's Greatest Hitman, he caught a glimpse of death. Shinigami Tsunayoshi just wanted him to stop increasing his workload. Light R27.
1. Don't Fear the Reaper

**A/N: Just a warning guys, this is my first attempt at R27. It's a prompt that's been in my head for a while now. Takes place before Reborn is cursed.**

 **Edit: Did some minor tweaking with the grammar, nothing major. Currently working on a sequel that will be added sometime after this update.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Thank god or it would have had a lot of hiatuses.**

* * *

 **Don't Fear the Reaper**

Renato Sinclair wasn't born a killer, as much as he'd like people to believe. His first kill was when he was a teenager and had been in self-defense. His widowed mother, god rest her soul, had gone back into the dating world so that Renato could have a father figure. At first Demitri was the perfect gentleman, something that Renato strove to be. He was always wearing tailor made suits and women seemed to fall at his feet.

Unfortunately his personality completely changed when the couple was married. The man was a mafioso and showed his true colors. Demitri only wanted Renato for his potential as a Sun and was willing to kill his mother to activate these flames. Demetri hadn't anticipated the teen's violent reaction to his mother's murder and was overwhelmed by Sun flames, his cells accelerating to the point that the coroner's report deemed that the man died of old age.

As Renato grieved there was a bright flash of light and he searched for some sort of weapon to defend himself. The intruder was a young man with spiky brown hair and amber eyes. He bent down to Renato's mother, his hand reaching towards the woman's face. "Don't touch her!" Renato snarled, startling the intruder. "Renato Sinclair, I am sorry for your loss." Tsunayoshi says sincerely, closing the eyes of the woman in reverence.

He gently pressed his thumb to her forehead, her body glowing as it released the woman's soul. Renato watched in awe as her spirit looked towards the man, her eyes determined. "Before you sent me and that bastard off, may I say something to my son?" She inquired, Tsunayoshi smiled softly. "Of course, just don't speak of this to anyone. My boss would kill me if he knew I was giving anyone special treatment." He says, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Maria was solemn as she faced her son. Her hand reached up to his cheeks, cheeks that were stained with tears. She couldn't physically touch him but there was a warmth radiating from her, a stark contrast to what Renato expected. "I want you to live on my dear Renato, don't give in to despair. Find something to live for." She says, then her eyes took on a mischievous gleam. "And find a nice girl, or boy if you'd prefer." She says, looking amused as Tsunayoshi blushed.

Demitri had received a sending off that sounded painful. The shinigami's eyes narrowed in anger as his hand slammed on the man's chest, his soul letting out an inhuman wail as it was engulfed in flames. "I hate dealing with those type of bastards." Tsuna says coldly, adjusting his sleeves. And just as suddenly as he appeared, the shinigami disappeared in a flash of light.

XoXoXoXoXo

After this incident Renato was a wanted man, the police incorrectly assuming that he had been the one to kill his mother. He lived on the streets and was forced to join the underworld that Demitri had been a part of. Many families had tried recruiting him, sometimes forcefully, only to be executed for their troubles. He took it upon himself to kill scum like Demitri and fell into the role of a hitman for hire. There was one more thing that motivated his killings, apparently the shinigami that had taken his mother and Demitri was in charge of mafia related deaths.

Tsunayoshi sighed, feeling haggard by the amount of murders taking place. And the cause of them was Renato Sinclair, the only human able to see him. As the human aged, he became more and more handsome. The bastard knew it if the smug look Renato gave him was any indication. "You're making my job much more difficult Renato." He says irritably, the Italian smirked. "I thought that you'd like a repeat customer that could actually see you. And it's Reborn now."

Tsuna deadpanned. "I don't care if you're Mother Teresa, you're being a pain in the ass. Is this some sick way of getting a date with me?" Reborn raised an eyebrow. "Are you volunteering?" He asks smoothly, Tsuna groaned. "If you haven't noticed I'm not like those humans that have been eyeing you like a piece of meat." Reborn just shrugged. "That wasn't a no." He says, Tsuna glared. "Fine! Just stop killing so many people!" Tsuna snapped.

Their first date was, of course, at a coffee shop. Not surprising since Reborn was obsessed with espressos and he was currently threatening to kill the barista if they messed up their orders. Tsuna gave them an apologetic look before dragging Reborn away. "Why not announce that you're part of the mafia while you're at it? The poor man looked like he was going to soil himself." Tsuna states, noticing Reborn watch the man like a hawk. He winced when the barista knocked over a stack of disposable cups and nearly burned his hand.

"For a shinigami involved with the mafia, you'd think that your disposition would be more... apathetic." Reborn says, watching the display in amusement. "I guide criminals and the innocent civilians they killed into the afterlife. Some of those innocents are children." Tsuna states, his eyes downcast. There were many families that were willing to experiment on children and harvest their organs. It pained him, not being able to do a thing about it.

"You're nothing more than a child yourself." Reborn says as their orders were placed on the counter. Tsuna huffed. "It's not like I can age like you humans."

XoXoXoXoXo

To ensure Reborn wouldn't go on another killing spree, Tsuna agreed to have coffee with the hitman once a week. It was a welcome reprieve from all the death he was surrounded by. When Reborn wasn't being difficult he could be very charming and insightful. He sighed, it was only a matter of time for Reborn to realize that a relationship with a shinigami would be fruitless. The man would eventually settle down with a family or, Tsuna's heart ached when he thought this, Reborn would die on a job.

The next time Tsuna met Reborn, the man was already in a gunfight with several dead bodies at his feet. The blood slowly dripped into one of the hitman's eyes and his exhausted appearance had Tsunayoshi seeing red. Orange flames engulfed the men, Tsuna's eyes widened in horror when he realized he just broke one of the taboos of being a shinigami. He was not allowed to interfere with the lives of the living, especially if it was their fated time to die.

"You're much stronger than you look." Reborn states, Tsuna looked at him incredulously and laughed. "You have no idea how many laws I just broke." He says, running a hand through his hair. It was going to take a lot of effort to convince his boss not to erase him from existence. Even if the man was a relative of his. He showed no signs of resistance as two enforcers took him into custody. Tsuna should have been terrified but at that moment he couldn't bring himself to care.

After Tsuna's disappearance, Reborn tried seeing the shinigami again. It was a fruitless effort, the shinigami had no clue where his predecessor had gone. One of the few constants in his life vanished and it only went downhill from there.

XoXoXoXoXo

Decades later, Reborn would be assigned to train the next heir of Vongola. The baby couldn't stop the surprised laugh that escaped when he looked at the photo. His eyes were now brown and the boy was shadow of his former self but he'd recognize the former shinigami anywhere. Timoteo sat patiently in front of his, trying to hide his unease. "Well Reborn? Will you accept this job?" Reborn smirked. "He'll be the greatest Vongola don the family has ever had."


	2. Behind the Curtain

**A/N: This was going to be a two-shot but my muse *glares at ominous figure shaped like Adult Reborn* is demanding another chapter after this. That and I'm weak to being asked things politely. *sweat drops* I didn't mean for this chapter to end on such a sad note but it seemed fitting. So here's more world building, feel free to leave a review and hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

 **Behind the Curtain**

After being taken into custody by two enforcers, Tsuna knew that he wasn't going to get away with a slap to the wrist. Even if the boss was his father, not that you could tell with how youthful the man looked. The two enforcers were only second in rank to Giotto for the mafia division. Death itself had put him in charge of deaths related to the mafia, especially if they were Vongola related. It was punishment for letting the once vigilante group turn into the ruthless mafia family it was. One of Giotto's guardians had managed to evade Death, much to their displeasure.

Large black doors with golden handles loomed over Tsuna, he took a deep breath as they slowly creaked open. A man with spiky blond hair and sharp blue eyes was talking into an old fashioned candlestick rotary phone, it had taken Tsuna forever to get the man to upgrade from telegraphs. He had the receiver up to his ear, his expression solemn. Tsuna gulped, did Death somehow get word of the incident as well? He was going into the void, he just knew it. No matter how much begging and pleading he did.

Giotto slammed the phone down, massaging his temples. He looked up, surprised to see Tsuna in his office. "Tsunayoshi, I was just about to call you here. I'm afraid I've received some troubling news." He states, that was Tsuna's cue to panic. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking! Please don't send me to the void!" He begged, nearly banging his head on the floor with dogeza. Giotto sighed. "Rise Tsuna, we've got something more troubling on our agenda. The balance of the world is at stake."

 **XoXoXoXoXo**

"Is it the Sky Arcobalenco?" Tsuna asks curiously, he honestly thought that they got the shortest end of the stick of all the Trinisette bearers. They tended to only live long enough to give birth to the next heir since the pacifier seemed to be blood locked like the Vongola and Gesso rings. Checker Face might not be mortal but he tended to be as short sighted as them. Giotto shook his head. "No, it involves Vongola. Death had informed me that all the sons of the current don are fated to die before they can take up the mantle."

"Can't we just prevent one of their deaths?" Tsuna asks, Giotto sighed. "It isn't that simple. If they do survive, Vongola will spiral out of control. The family needs a clean start. That is where you'll come in Tsuna." Giotto says, clasping his hands together.

"You can't be serious! This idiot has his fingerprints all over the life of a mortal. He needs to be punished, not reincarnated!" G, one of the more hot tempered enforcers, protests. "That man is fated to be one of the Arcobalenco bearers so his interference can be forgiven." Tsuna's blood ran cold. So he had saved the mortal from death, only to have the man live a cursed existence. Wasn't that punishment enough?

"Father can't you send someone else? I don't have what it takes to lead a mafia family!" Tsuna protests. Being reincarnated also meant that he would lose his memories of the afterlife, including all his meetings with Reborn. "You will not be alone, you will meet your beloved Reborn again. So what do you say?"

Tsuna shook his head. "The humans are going to call me the reincarnation of you, you know that right?" Giotto stood, placing a hand on Tsuna's shoulder. "What you do with your new life is up to you. The mafia needs your compassion, unlike myself your soul has not been jaded. I will not be able to interfere directly but I shall watch your progress." He says, pulling his son into one last embrace. Tsuna sobbed, clutching onto Giotto's robe. The enforcers quietly closed the doors behind them, letting the father and son have one last moment together.

 **XoXoXoXoXo**

When Iemitsu Sawada's son, Tsunayoshi Sawada, was born the CEDEF boss felt a shiver run down his spine. His son was so small that the man could fit him in the palm of his hand. Both Nana and Tsuna were sleeping peacefully when Iemitsu's pager went off. He ran a hand through his hair, wondering how Timoteo would react to his baby boy looking like a mini-Giotto. Timoteo had been a father figure when Iemitsu was a boy, but he was still a mafia man. He would eliminate anything that he deemed a threat to the family, that was why Iemitsu had been assigned as the CEDEF boss.

Tsuna was a bright child, with a charisma that drew other children to him like a flame. He dreamed of reaching the sky, climbing anything he could to get closer to it. One of his favorite places to seek refuge was on the roof of his house, not that he would tell his Mama. His Mama and Papa both smothered him with affection, but something felt like it was missing from his life. It wouldn't be until his useless years and his jarring first meeting with Reborn that he would feel whole again.

 **XoXoXoXoXo**

He should have hated the fake baby, but one of Reborn's rare smiles encouraged him to keep moving forward. And for some strange reason he felt like punching Bianchi whenever she showered the hitman with affection. He was pulled out of his daze when he was hit with a Leon mallet. "Penny for your thoughts?" Reborn asks, his squeaky voice as close to a purr as it could manage. Tsuna shivered, both in fear and something else he couldn't explain.

"Have you ever met someone for the first time and felt like you've met them before?" He asks. It was a common occurrence, especially with his guardians and tutor. There was a far away look in Reborn's eyes and Tsuna felt frustrated with himself all over again. A lot of his problems could be boiled down to the seal that was forced on him but his intuition was screaming for him to remember something.

Tsuna felt a small hand on his head and was surprised he wasn't hit with the mallet again. "At this rate your brain is going to overheat. It must be difficult since it isn't used to thinking." Reborn says with his usual smirk. Tsuna's face flushed as he stood to his feet. "Mom, I'm going for a walk!" Tsuna announced, Nana smiled. "Don't be out too late!"

 **XoXoXoXoXo**

Tsuna sat underneath a tree, eyes closed as he listened to the breeze make its branches sway. He felt like whatever he needed to remember was right in his grasp, only for it to slip away. Even when he protested to becoming Vongola Decimo, there was a part of himself that wanted to do something. To stop families like the Estraneo from harming children, to protect innocent people like his mother and civilian friends. To make a family surrounded in darkness good again, or at least as much as you could with a criminal organization.

He looked up at the sky, admiring how the setting sun painted it with such vibrant colors. He looked down at the half ring hanging off his necklace, cradling it in his hand. "Why? Why does everyone have such faith in a useless person like me? Like I'm some mafia saint?" He kicked his foot out, his eyes shadowed by his hair. He could understand his family and friends, but why would Reborn put such faith in him?


	3. Unbalanced

**A/N: I give up, this story wants to be longer than three chapters. *bangs head against desk* Why does this always seem to happen to my one-shot stories? Well in any case, hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

 **Unbalanced**

Xanxus, leader of the Varia and Tsuna's rival to the Vongola throne, was a terrifying man. He was the leader of an elite group of assassins, Nono had to be insane if he thought a group of teens could defeat this monster. The only thing that stopped Tsuna from bolting out of there was the constant weight of Reborn on his head. There was also a nagging feeling that if Xanxus became Decimo, that the family would become soaked with even more blood.

Both sides fought tooth and nail to complete the Rings, some fighters even being sent to intensive care unit. The sight of Lambo being dragged from the hospital to participate in the Cervello's sick idea of a Sky Battle, was enough to make Tsuna glare at his smirking opponent. Xanxus showed no concern for his subordinates, even laughing at their failure. "You'll be nothing more than a blood smear on the wall." Xanxus sneered, taking out his dual pistols.

Tsunayoshi had startled everyone when his eyes narrowed, their amber coloring returning in his dying will state. "Reborn, did you shoot Jyuudaime while we weren't looking?" Gokudera asks, shivering. The Sun Arcobalenco smirked. There it was, a small glimpse of what Tsunayoshi used to be before he was human. The one that made monsters shake in fear of his anger. And Xanxus was arrogant enough to trigger it. "When you break the patience of a saint, be prepare for hell."

When Tsuna charged at Xanxus, he was not prepared for the force behind the teen's punches. The man unleashed a volley of wrath flame bullets, trying to create some distance between himself and the furious teen. "You. Hurt. My. Family." Tsuna snarled, sending a flame enforced uppercut to his opponent's jaw. He tore the chain from Xanxus' neck, his gaze now directed at the Cervello. "Administer the antidotes, NOW."

The Cervello scrambled to comply, not wanting to anger the teen further. It was only when he knew his guardians were safe that he finally retreated from his dying will state, his legs giving out from the strain on his body. Yamamoto was the first to congratulate him, patting him on the shoulder with a grin. "Looks like you won, and we get to keep these neat rings." He says, Tsuna stared at the completed Sky Ring in his hands. He hadn't cared about the rings, all he could remember was that Xanxus and his men had hurt his friends. And he had wanted the man to pay. His guardians looked on in shock as Tsuna fell unconscious.

After the ring battles, Tsuna was even more determined to become stronger. Reborn had mentioned that his ring would act as an amplifier of sorts but he was still hesitant to wear it. The Vongola Rings all radiated a subtle but potent power, power that needed to be handled responsibly. It was the same feeling he got from the Arcobalenco pacifiers at times, like they were linked somehow. He would catch Reborn staring at him more often, a look of contemplation on his face.

 **XoXoXoXoXo**

Everything started to piece together when they were thrown into the future. Reborn had been the first of their group to disappear and the foreboding feeling in the back of his head wasn't calming his nerves. After being shot with the Ten Year Bazooka, he woke up in his own coffin. He was apparently dead in the future and while he panicked in the enclosed space, the thought of death itself hadn't frightened him.

He wandered aimlessly around the forest, his body tensed. He wouldn't let himself be caught off guard, especially if his future self somehow got himself killed. Granted, he wasn't expecting someone in a black uniform floating in the air with a broomstick to attack him. She wore an indigo ring and was about to open some sort of box. Alarm bells rang in his head as he used his Sky flames to slam her into a tree, knocking her unconscious.

He pocketed the ring and box, he could examine them further when he got out of there and found his friends. For once this over-the-top scenario didn't have Reborn's influence all over it. The air was heavier, almost suffocating. Sweat dripped down his neck and he was tempted to forgo walking to use his flames and soar through the air. Unfortunately that would also mean giving up any cover provided by the trees. Tsuna sighed. "Walking it is."

He shrieked when a giant centipede scuttled towards him, an eerie glint in its narrow eyes. He was already halfway up a tree when Lal Mirch made her presence known. Unlike the rest of the Arcobalenco she wasn't a child and her pacifier was… murky. Tsuna didn't know what that meant but he guessed that something was wrong with the item.

When they stepped foot in the secret Vongola base and he saw the hitman alive, albeit in a weird white outfit that resembled a spacesuit, he hadn't hesitated to bring the violent baby into his arms. Lal Mirch watched the sappy reunion with a smirk. "You never said you were on good terms with the brat." Tsuna gave a pained yell as Reborn kicked him in the chin. "We're not out of danger yet Useless-Tsuna. Right now Vongola is being hunted down."

Tsuna's eyes widened in alarm. This wasn't supposed to happen! Something was very, very wrong with this future. "But without Vongola in the picture, the mafia world would be in a state of anarchy. Doesn't our family have any allies?" He asks, Reborn's hat shadowed his eyes. "The Arcobalenco have died in this future. The Callavone and Varia are still on the front lines but they're having trouble with Millifiore."

"Wait, hold on a minute! You guys are the world's strongest, you can't die that easily!" Tsuna exclaims. Then again he hadn't expected himself to be dead either. "Verde, that idiot, found a way to kill us all. And it backfired horribly." Lal Mirch says with a grimace. "Do we at least know the name of the family? Maybe we can go back and stop them from coming to power!" Reborn shook his head. "Whatever sent us here was clearly a one way trip. So until we discover a way back ourselves, we're stuck here."

Lal Mirch cleared her throat. "Your plan wouldn't work anyways. Millifiore is an alliance of two families: Gesso and-" "The Giglio Nero Famiglia." Tsuna whispered, looking horrified. Lal Mirch narrowed her eyes in suspicion, Tsuna ignored the look and continued. "They used the power of the rings and pacifiers to target our family. But who would be psychotic enough to risk destroying the balance of the world by targeting us?" The words rushed out of Tsuna's mouth and he couldn't stop them. He didn't know how he knew, only that there was much more at stake than the destruction of their family. It could be the beginning of the end for all of humanity.

 **XoXoXoXoXo**

There was a mix of his future friends and current friends that eventually found their way back to the base. Gokudera had been found by future Takeshi, only for the swordsman to be replaced with his baseball loving past self. Kyoko had been wandering around with Lambo and Haru, taking shelter with future Hana until they were escorted to the base as well. Ryohei and Chrome were M.I.A. at the moment and future Hibari had just returned from his patrolling. At least that hadn't changed.

"Um, could any of you guys tell me what these are?" Tsuna asks, setting a ring and box on the table. Reborn's eyes narrowed. "Where did you get these?" Tsuna shrugged. "Some woman in a black uniform was going to use them on me. I figured they were bad news, knocked her out, and stole them." Tsuna says nonchalantly, like he hadn't pickpocketed a criminal. A chuckle had escaped from Reborn. In this lifetime Tsuna may be called useless, but his intuition was top notch. Most rookies made the mistake of waiting for their opponents to call or prepare their attack. Not Tsuna, since he wasn't an adrenaline junkie like Hibari or Ryohei he liked to end things quickly.

The teens were given a brief moment to celebrate finding each other again. Haru and Kyoko made a cake while the boys caught up on what happened to them when they were flung into the future. Reborn and the others didn't have the heart to tell them how truly dire the situation was, but with their tense posture it was easy to tell something was wrong. Then future Hibari was given the task of training Tsuna along with Lal Mirch. On their final day of training, everyone could hear a blood chilling scream.


	4. Recollection

**A/N:** **Sorry about the cliffhanger earlier, I blame Reborn. As soon as I wrote it, my muse decided to wander off to cause havoc elsewhere. My step dad is a horror movie fanatic and I couldn't help the comparison between the Millifiore base and The Cube. Hopefully this will involve less dead bodies. One more chapter and it'll actually be completed this time. Enjoy and feel free to review!**

* * *

 **Recollection**

Reborn and Lal Mirch ran into the room, looking to Tsuna for some sort of explanation. "Please tell me I'm not the only one seeing the ghost of my dead ancestor." Tsuna pleaded, Giotto smirked in amusement. "I don't-" Reborn kicked Lal Mirch before she could finish her sentence. Tsuna looked confused enough, he didn't need the boy doubting himself. "I'll handle this."

Even as an Arcobalenco, Reborn could still see the shinigami that looked identical to Tsunayoshi. "I see that the roles have reversed Reborn. I couldn't ask for Tsunayoshi to be in better hands." Giotto comments, amber eyes looking at Tsuna fondly. "But what are you doing here? I've already gone through the trial haven't I?" Tsuna asks, wondering if there was something that he missed. Giotto smiled solemnly. "I have only come to return something to you. Not everything, but what your mind can currently handle." Giotto says, pressing his flames onto Tsuna's forehead like Timoteo had done when he unsealed the teen's flames.

Tsuna winced in pain as foreign yet familiar memories flooded into his mind, collapsing to the floor due to the strain. "Someone get him to the infirmary!"

 **XoXoXoXoXo**

When Tsuna finally awoke, it was like he was seeing the world with a new perspective. Some of his odd quirks and his appearance being so similar to Giotto's finally made sense. He had a purpose, to keep the Trinisette balanced, unfortunately it seemed to be too late. If the Sky Arcobalenco was still alive they might still have a chance... Tsuna groaned. "When did everything get so complicated? Even after being banished you still found me." He grumbles, feeling Reborn's presence in the room.

"It took you long enough." Reborn states, Tsuna scowled. "Of course you're still a pompous bastard. Too bad you lost your looks." That earned him a hammer to the head but it wasn't too hard. If Reborn had forgotten about him he probably would have taken his frustration out on him as well. "I see you've regained your wit." Reborn says, Tsuna grinned. "Kind of hard to stay terrified of you when I've seen you go through your awkward teen years." He snickered.

Tsuna sat up, looking at Reborn solemnly. "This isn't just about Vongola anymore. If the future continues like this, the entire planet is doomed. There aren't any people other than your generation of Arcobalenco that can fuel the pacifiers. They are the holders that take the brunt of the weight. And the Mare rings take a toll on the mind of their users, driving them to madness."

"And what of the Vongola rings? What do they sacrifice to use their power?" Tsuna was silent, his hands gripping tightly onto the blanket. "Freedom. The responsibility of keeping the others families in line, no matter the sacrifice. Otherwise there will be anarchy not even the Vindice can control. Vongola know it as their Sin." He looked tired, like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. In a way, it was. "You are taking me out for an espresso after this mess is over with." Reborn says bluntly, Tsuna looked at him incredulously. "If we make it through this, I'll personally break the Arcobalenco curse."

 **XoXoXoXoXo**

After learning how to use their box weapons the plan was simple. Lure the Millifiore into an all-out attack against their base and infiltrate the base while the majority of their forces were gone. It was a huge risk but at this point they were desperate. After regaining his memories, Tsuna carried himself with more confidence. As Dame-Tsuna, he was a sheep thrown to the wolves. With his memories partially recovered, about fifty years worth including his time spent with Renato, he wasn't going in completely blind.

Tsuna and his guardians all wore communicators to keep in contact with their base, putting their faith in Kyoya and his men to distract Millifiore. A Vongola informant had clued them in on what the Millifiore fortress would be like. Apparently the designer took inspiration from a horror movie called The Cube, the rooms being interchangeable and controlled by the main computer. Tsuna glanced at his friends to see if anyone was having second thoughts. Yamamoto's eyes were already narrowed, his hand never straying from his sword. Gokudera wore a scowl, his gaze never straying from the guards. Ryohei was unnaturally quiet, his dying will showing through his now yellow eyes.

Tsuna smiled. He knew that his guardians would be with him to the bitter end, there was no way that he was going to let them down. "Alright guys, we need to find the Millifiore boss as soon as possible. As soon as their Sky is out of the equation they'll need time to regroup." Tsuna comments. There was a 50/50 chance of the Sky's elements going into a violent rage or being weighed down by grief. Tsuna felt guilt over this but remembered how the leader of Millifiore hunted down his family and friends. And it wasn't just Vongola, there were ally families and even civilians that were being targeted. This had to end.

 _"Remind me when we return to our time to track down Verde and strangle him. Tch, all I can do is sit back and watch."_ Reborn grumbled over the comm-link. Tsuna rolled his eyes. "You would enjoy something like this, wouldn't you? It would definitely prevent my guardians from seeing death at such a young age." Tsuna says, switching to a private channel. Reborn snorted. _"You didn't seem to have the same hesitation when I became a hitman."_ He states. "Do you know how many years it had been since I was a teenager myself? You had enough confidence to badger a messenger of death for a date." Tsuna says bluntly.

Shoichi watched the teen Vongola break through their defenses, projecting a calm air despite how his stomach was currently doing cartwheels. Tsunayoshi this time around was thankfully less of a follower and more of a leader. The brunet spotted one of the security cameras and, in a matter of seconds, destroyed the security camera with a burst of flames. With the Cervello constantly looking over his shoulder Shouichi hit the alarm, praying that their Hail Mary would work.

 **XoXoXoXoXo**

Red lights flashed and the entire room began to shake. "Damn it, they're already moving the rooms around!" Gokudera cursed. "We could just blast through them!" Yamamoto says with a grin. "That's... a decent plan baseball freak." The bomb expert admitted. "Tsuna! Let's extremely punch our way through this place!" Ryohei exclaims. "Well, why not? We already lost the element of surprise." Tsuna says with a shrug.


	5. Death's Intervention

**A/N: I swear this is the most stubborn story I've ever written. I'm still on the fence on how the final "chapter" turned out but couldn't leave it on another cliffhanger. The chapters for this thing divided like cells when it was originally a one-shot. Thank you to everyone who patiently waited for the final chapter, and hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

 **Death's Intervention**

They all went along with the plan to blast their way to the boss, lovingly calling it "The Hibari Method." And without pausing to let their opponents activate their boxes, which they were all stupidly dependent on, their search was quicker than they thought it'd be. The only hitch in the plan was when Tsuna got separated from the others, stumbling across Spanner.

" _Only you would be lucky enough to run into the one person that doesn't have any motivation to kill you._ " Reborn says with exasperation. Spanner was currently working on a pair of contacts that would make it easier to calculate the output of Tsuna's flames. Tsuna just shrugged sheepishly. "Some good luck has to balance out the bad." Tsuna says, aware that Reborn couldn't see it but knew him well enough to guess his actions.

"You're different from your future self. I wonder what it is." Spanner wondered aloud. My future self probably didn't have his past memories. Tsuna thought to himself. Seriously, what was he thinking when he tossed away the Vongola Rings?! "Aren't you worried about turning against your boss?" Tsuna asks, Spanner shrugged. "I haven't met the man myself but he seems to be obsessed with games. He'd probably like the challenge."

The more that Tsuna learned about Byakuran, the greater the urge to kill the man. He viewed everything as a large scale game, not caring about his men and treating people like pawns. His future self had tried the peaceful approach, only to be killed for his pacifist solution. The Mad Sky and his guardians likely already had their minds warped by the Mare Rings. It was the price of such great power being granted to them. His teen self would have been more hesitant to go ahead with a more permanent solution. Byakuran and his guardians needed to be destroyed.

 **XoXoXoXoXo**

Sky flames broke through the wall, Tsuna panted from the exertion on his body. He hated to admit it but his body wasn't in the best shape to handle all of his flames and if he complained Reborn would gleefully put him through more torture disguised as training. The Cervello on both sides of Shoichi tensed as the red head stood to his feet. "Vongola Decimo, welcome."

The man took out a taser, turning it on the Cervello. The women crumpled to the ground and Tsuna's eyes widened in understanding. "You're our mole."

Shoichi nodded. "Correct, I apologize for dragging you into this but without the Vongola rings we were outgunned. Once we defeat Byakuran you and your friends will be sent back to your proper time." He says, pushing up his glasses. Tsuna pinched the bridge of his nose. "You do realize that if Byakuran defeats us that he'll have the entire Tri-Ni-Sette. One person is not meant to have that much power, there's a reason why they were divided."

"We all were well aware of the risks we were taking," Shoichi clenched his fists. "But it isn't just our world that's in danger. The Mare ring gives Byakuran the ability to share information with his other selves across the multiverse. There's one thing they all have in common: the Vongola rings are nowhere to be found."

It could have just been a coincidence but Tsuna's intuition told him there was more to it. "How many of the Arcobalenco are still alive at this time? If their Sky is still alive we might have a chance." His knowledge on the pacifiers was a bit hazy but there was a fail safe that the Sky could use in an emergency. "The sky is still alive but under Byakuran's influence. If we could find a way to free her..." "Then we could tip the scale in our favor."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that Decimo. Our game has gone on long enough." Shoichi's face paled, suddenly feeling nauseous. The man had long white hair, his pleasant smile a mask for the sadistic personality that was beneath the surface. _"Tsuna? What's going on?"_ Reborn demands. Byakuran heard the voice and smirked. "It seems you could't resist dragging your beloved adviser into this as well. How does he feel, being forced to hide like a coward?"

 **XoXoXoXoXo**

Tsuna's eyes narrowed. "Do you have any idea what you're doing to the balance? How many people are suffering because of your actions?" He demands, a dying will flame flaring to life on his forehead. Byakuran's smirk only widened. "And who do you think contributed to this future through inaction? A man whose involvement were half-assed at best." He says as he discretely motioned for one of his men to shoot Tsuna. The teen dodged the attack, flames coating his hands. "Myself and my future self are different people. I won't hesitate to erase you from existence." He says, the shooter screaming in pain as they were incinerated.

Byakuran observed his opponent more closely, the only other Tsunayoshi that behaved like this one was the version that was born as the son of Vongola's founder. "It doesn't matter how powerful you are, your flames have surely been exhausted after fighting through this base." Tsuna grit his teeth, well aware of the truth in his statement. "If I'm not leaving this room, then neither will you." _"Tsuna, what the hell are you thinking? Wait until your guardians-"_ Tsuna ripped the speaker out of his ear, crushing it under his foot.

Reborn slammed his fist on the console as Tsuna's feed stopped. "That self-sacrificing idiot!" He snarled, knowing exactly what his student was thinking. He already lost the idiot once, he wasn't losing him again! The suit the Vongola inventors had created would only be able to hold off the radiation outside for a short amount of time. As he got ready to leave the base, he was stopped by Bianchi. The pink haired woman gave the man she loved a solemn smile. "I never had a chance, did I?"

Reborn just tilted his fedora, his eyes shadowed. "Both of you deserve someone better." The hitman says honestly, clenching his fists. For a brief moment Bianchi could have sworn she saw the shadow of a man on the wall beside Reborn. She watched until she could no longer see Reborn, tears running down her cheeks. "Ah, I knew I should have killed that boy when I had the chance." Bianchi says with a humorless laugh. She just never thought that the student would steal the hitman's heart.

 **XoXoXoXoXo**

As Tsuna fought against Byakuran, he thought it was ironic that the man molded his flames into what looked like angel wings. He wondered if it was supposed to be a play on him being an angel of death. If Death knew anything of this mockery, it certainly wouldn't let it go unpunished.

Unfortunately Death was also a lazy thing, preferring to leave all the heavy lifting to his shinigami in favor of drinking spirits. Instead of dodging, Tsuna absorbed the flames using one of Giotto's techniques. His body was already pushed to it's limits, not that he expected to have one after what he planned.

Tsuna leaned against what was left of the walls, glaring at Byakuran. Numbers flashed in front of his eyes as he prepared what could be his final attack. "Sorry Reborn, I don't think I'll be coming back this time. X-Burner!"

Ah, a human body was never meant to hold such a high concentration of flames. Tsuna thought, off in the distance he thought he'd heard voices. Byakuran's expression had gone from haughty to something akin to panic before taking the full brunt of the attack.

 **XoXoXoXoXo**

Death looked upon the scene with exasperation. Giotto and his descendants always did have a flare for dramatics. It poked and prodded at the broken body, glaring at the spirits of Byakuran and Tsunayoshi. "Bloody idiots, the both of you! The Tri-Ni-Sette is going to be even more unbalanced with both of you dead! Why must mortals be so difficult?!" It hissed, Byakuran still looked shocked and Tsuna deadpanned.

"The system is outdated anyways. The Earth survived on it's own centuries before the Tri-Ni-Sette was used. There are many people now on this planet, wouldn't it be easier to take a small amount from six billion people than drain the life force of the strongest?" He asks bluntly.

"Oh no, you're not changing the subject. I gave you a second chance at life and you wasted it!" Death exclaimed, glaring at the Vongola. "I purposely tried to get you and that Sun idiot together and you killed yourself!"

Tsuna watched Death rant, his face not showing the slightest hint of emotion. If anything he looked like a bored employee tuning out an annoying manager. "Are you used to this?" Tsuna turned to Byakuran, apparently the man had lost all his bravado in death.

"You'd be surprised by the amount of weird things I've gone through working for Death. This isn't even in my top ten of Death's rants." Tsuna says bluntly. Death pinched the bridge of its nose and sighed. "You." It pointed at Byakuran. "Are getting your head fixed. And you." Death pointed at Tsuna. "Are going to live a full, happy life. Even if I have to go into the mortal realm and force you dammit!"

 **XoXoXoXoXo**

When Reborn and Tsuna's guardians had reached Shoichi's lab, Tsuna's body was damaged but still breathing. He was still alive. Reborn had done as much healing as he could with his Sun flames but knew Tsuna would need medical attention as soon as possible. "You lucky idiot." Reborn growled under his breath, watching as Ryohei and Yamamoto carefully picked up Tsuna's unconscious form.

The Millifiore ranks floundered as the chain of command broke down completely. Those that would have taken the reins from Byakuran in the event of his passing were too occupied trying to restrain his elements. Reborn doubted that Tsuna's guardians would have been able to take them on with their current experience. They would eventually recover but until then Vongola and it's allies would have a chance to regroup and defend themselves.

Tsuna's body was covered in second and third degree burns which made it difficult to find an area to place the IV that wouldn't cause the teen immense pain. Even with the aid of Sun flames, it would take a while for him to recover. "The only part of you that wasn't burned was your face." The hitman says, watching his student breathing with the aid of an oxygen mask. Tsuna's eyelids fluttered, one of his bandaged hands twitching.

The door to the infirmary opened, Hibari's right hand walking into the room. "Reborn. Our retrieval of the Sky Arcobalenco was successful." Kusakabe states, Reborn nodded in acknowledgement. Kusakabe sighed. "You've been by his bedside for two days. You need to rest." The man says bluntly.

There was a weak chuckle as Reborn looked back to Tsuna. His eyes were barely open, showing a mix of fondness and exasperation. Tsuna didn't need words for Reborn to know what the brunet wanted. "Gokudera might as well get some experience being a right hand." Reborn says, hopping off the bed. And he complains about me being stubborn. Tsuna thought in amusement.

News spread that Tsuna had regained consciousness and there was a brawl among Tsuna's guardians to see who would visit him first. Bianchi rolled her eyes, walking past the teens. Chrome ignored her fellow guardians, joining the girls to visit him together. "Idiots." The pink haired woman scoffed, shaking her head. It was chaotic as always, like everything seemed to be whenever Vongola was involved. Shoichi agreed to send them all back to the past once Tsuna was fully recovered, to avoid any awkward questions it would be a couple hours after Reborn was taken.

 **XoXoXoXoXo**

"Thank kami for sun flames." Tsuna says, stretching his limbs for the first time in two weeks. It was amusing seeing his guardians fall over themselves to make him more comfortable while he was bedridden. Reborn was guiding Ryohei in speeding up Tsuna's healing process, with Shamal using his knowledge as a doctor to make sure everything was under control. "You can't constantly use sun flames as a crutch. While it accelerates your recovery, it also accelerates aging of the body as well." Shamal comments.

Tsuna deadpanned. He'd seen that happen when Reborn was a teenager. It also explained why Ryohei had white hair at such a young age. "We'll take that into consideration the next time someone tries to kill me." Tsuna says dryly. Reborn hit him in the head with a mallet, Tsuna shot him a glare. "If I ever see you close to death's door again, I'll kill you myself." Reborn states, a shiver ran down his student's spine. "Only you could make a threat sound intimidating with that squeaky voice of yours." A corner of Reborn's mouth curved upwards.

"That shouldn't be a problem. You promised to break the curse if we survived the future, remember?" Ryohei and Shamal silently left the room, already finished checking on Tsuna. The brunet sighed. "I did, didn't I? I already placed the idea of replacing the current Tri-Ni-Sette with something more effective into Death's head. Unfortunately it would be up to the current administrator to relinquish control of the rings and pacifiers. They're actually drinking buddies if I remember correctly." Tsuna mused.

"And what would make Death listen to your request?" Reborn asks, Tsuna deadpanned. "Apparently he thinks we're an entertaining couple and was pissed when I nearly died again. They're too invested not to listen." Tsuna yawned, torn between going back to sleep and just talking to Reborn. For a man who's purpose in life seemed to be stirring up chaos, Reborn had always been a pillar that Tsuna could lean on. Reborn walked over to the teen, sitting on his lap.

"Sleep, we'll have plenty of time to talk when we return home." Reborn says briskly, tensing at first when Tsuna wrapped his arms around his small frame but eventually let himself relax. Tsuna yawned once again. "Home, I like the sound of that." He mumbled, his eyes already half shut. Reborn took his prized fedora off his head, opting to doze off as well. The door to the infirmary creaked open, Kyoko and Haru withholding their urge to squeal. Chrome smiled timidly, glad to see her boss was happy.

"Alright girls, how about we make Tsuna a get well cake?" Bianchi suggests sweetly, poison miasma already making itself visible. Chrome sweat dropped, she needed to make sure Tsuna survived this future until they went back to their time. "Rest well bossu."


End file.
